Finding materals

[Hillbilly 0]

Is there anyone that lives near the Wv, Ky, Oh area that can fill me in on a good place close by to get materals. the only place that i know of in driving distance in in NC. Need something closer.

[Guest]

Hillbilly,

 

Where abouts are you located? I know of some places in OH and Kentucky.

[Al Beatty 0]

Hi Hillbilly,

 

Cabela's, Hook&Hackle, and Bob Mariott's have all treaed me well and they are as close as you mail box. Take care & ...

 

Tight Lines - Al Beatty

www.btsflyfishing.com

[Guest]

Heck you can order most everything right here from green caddis outfitters. Also I am not suprised that Al did not mention himself, but btsflyfishing.com carries some good stuff too. What type of materials are you looking for, is it stuff you have to see in person to buy? I tend to be like that for buying hackle.

 

John

[Steeldrifter 0]

not to sound like a sales pitch but i've been getting alot of stuff from Will's GCO from this site lately and his prices are better than most fly shops plus theres free shipping for members so it works out good for us!

 

SD

[appalachian angler (tn.) 0]

GREEN CADDIS OUTFITTERS or ya might as well say,

[boba 0]

Ditto re: Cabelas and Hook and Hackle, especially if you need hooks, thread and other relatively standardized stuff when you know exactly what you want, especially by brand name, i.e. 8/0 Unithread or hooks in a specific model and size. Their prices are reasonable. It does help you save if you compare prices via their websites.

 

While I much prefer to personally pick through dyed hackle, marabou, bucktail and similar materials at a store to get exactly what I want in terms of color, hair or feather characteristics and so on, Hunter's Angling Supplies <http://www.huntersangling.com/> and English Angling Trappings (phone:1-845-855-5182) done a good job for me when I've been in a hurry before a trip and was able to be very specific about the use and type/color/characteristics of materials needed.

 

I haven't tried Green Caddis <http://www.greencaddis.com/contact_us.php> yet or the others and so can't comment on them. Smallie seems to run it and I suspect he would probably also be crazy enough to pick through his supplies to help you if you don't find a reliable local supplier and have to mail order something. After all, he's passionate enough about tying to keep this website going.

 

I don't know a dealer in your area, but if you don't find one and have to order without seeing and handling the materials, I recommend calling the dealers you choose, along with a list of your needs and work through it with them exactly what you need and what you need it for. See where you get the best response. Some dealers will really go through their stuff to find what you need and to try to pick out the exact shade or quality you need. Often, its smaller scale dealers who are willing to do that, and you sometimes may pay a tad more. Don't expect Cabelas to do that. Many mail order dealers use an answering service (like Hook and Hackle) to answer order phones; don't expect the phone answerer to know what you're talking about. If you need custom stuff in a specific shade, they won't have a clue.

 

To find some local dealers, try a Google search or your yellow pages and then go visit their shops. I tried a quickie search for WV, Ohio and Kentucky and found a lot of irrelevant businesses, not much fly tying material. Try searching using your town name or the nearest large city. There has to be a dealer there somewhere since it's supposed to be a good fishing area.

[Hillbilly 0]

Thanks for the info guys. I did try one local shop and he said that he would order what i wanted. I check with him for 6 weeks and still nothing has come in, (or so he says). I think he hasn't order it at all. But i will start looking at a few web sites and in the yellow pgs to see what i can find.

 

One more question. like I said I have alot to learn and I've bought a book but can't find the answer. But what is a cdc feather? i need alot of help, and yes before anyone else says it I'M GREEN!!! ha-ha.

[Guest]

Hillbilly,

 

I don't know how close you are to Cincy but there are 3 fly shops in the area including a Bass Pro Shop which is where I usually visit. If your ever in the neighborhood let me know and we will go chase some Smallies

[Steeldrifter 0]

QUOTE (Hillbilly @ Oct 7 2004, 08:04 AM)

One more question. like I said I have alot to learn and I've bought a book but can't find the answer. But what is a cdc feather? i need alot of help, and yes before anyone else says it I'M GREEN!!! ha-ha.

cdc feathers are a type that are known for their good floating ability and if i'm not mistaken they are from..how shall i say..the "rear" of the bird i think.

[boba 0]

Cdc stands for cul de canard (French term: since my brother-in-law is French and I respect him greatly, I won't say anything like trust the French to find the duck's --s). It's the circular bunch of feathers near the rump of a duck which is called the preen gland. It emits an oily substance that makes the feathers outstanding floaters (do not use floatant on these feathers or you will screw up their floatation. Wipe them dry, use dessicant, dry them with false casts, etc., but do NOT put floatant on them.). The preen gland secretes an oil which ducks spread over their other feathers with their bills/beaks to improve their other feathers' flotation, i.e. they keep the bird from sinking.

The feathers look sort of like small versions of marabou but in a slightly fan-like pattern, and they really do float a fly very well. They are superb for midge wings and emergers. They can also be used well to create floating bodies as dubbing on small flies.